Question:

Hi Mr. White,

I didn’t notice anything on your website that addressed moving from the east coast to LA.

Are you able to give advice? My husband has been acting for over 10 years (we live between NYC and Philly).

I think we have to at least give it a try out there to see if he can get steady work, since it hasn’t been steady enough for our family to live on without supplementing it with another job.

What is it like for an actor moving to LA with a good resume?

Thanks,

Jenny Jones

Answer:

Hi Audrey,

Thanks for the email.

What it’s like moving out here with a good resume is largely dependent on just how good the resume really is. As in, if the work your husband has been doing over the last ten years is good enough that a quality agent will want to sign on with your husband right out of the gate, then, yes moving will be a good thing.

There is definitely more work happening here and it will probably be easier to book more roles more often. This is especially true if he has a strong character type that he plays pretty frequently. As in, if he is always being cast as a gangster, or a mean business man, or a super effemninate guy or whatever, it will really help his booking prospects out here. Especially when you couple it with a strong resume and good representation.

However, if the work he’s been doing are things like regional theater, indie films, student films, etc. moving here will still be helpful, even just from a volume of available work standpoint. But, truthfully, he’ll be doing the same grind that everyone else is. You have to take into account that everyone that moves here has at least some stuff on their resume. It all kind of varies, but even the guys and gals that have completely stacked resumes can struggle for years.

I hope this helps, best of luck to you both.